The court in Goris, Armenia, on Tuesday denied the defense’s motion to commute the current detention of Goris mayor Arush Arushanyan, and to release him on bail.

The criminal case against Arushanyan is already at the trial stage, and the court has started examining the respective evidence.

Arush Arushanyan is in custody, and he is charged with committing electoral fraud in favor of the opposition "Armenia" Bloc—led by second President Robert Kocharyan—during the snap parliamentary elections on June 20. But Arushanyan does not accept the charge brought against him, and his attorneys describe these criminal cases as political persecution against their client.